Machine for separating shoes from lasts



, May 7, 1 940. L. JALBERT .4

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SHOES FROM LASTS Filed Juhe 14, 1939 2 Sheets-Shee.1..l

May 7, 1940.

A. L. -JALBERT MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SHOES FROM LASTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1939 52 mechanism is arranged to cause Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED -STATES PATENT OFFICE Adrien L. J albert,

Haverhill, Mass., assi nor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, Jersey N. J., a corporation of New Application'June 14, 1939, Serial No. 279,066

21 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for separating shoes from lasts and is herein illustrated and described as embodied in a treadle operated machine provided with a shoe removing tool which engagesthe rear portion of a shoe upper to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last. The illustrated machine is provided with an upstanding last pin upon which the last is mounted in inverted position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine of the type under consideration. In accordance with a feature of the invention, the machine is provided with a pair of cams normally in engagement with each other and which are separated by interposing a member between them, the movement of separation of the cams serving to bring the shoe removing tool from an out-of-the-way position to an operative position with respect to the shoe. This cam the shoe removing tool to perform its return movement in a path different from that-of its operative movement in order to avoid striking the last. In accordance with a further feature, the illustrated machine is 5 provided with two shoe removing tools of different $5 mounted for lateral movement types, one a friction pad and the other a tool which engages the edge of the upper of the rear portion of the shoe and thus actspositively. As shown herein provision is made for relative adjustment of these two tools to enable either of them to be retracted to an inoperative position although both tools may be used simultaneously desired. In accordance with still another fea- .ture, the last pin of the illustrated machine is relatively to the .shoe to enable the shoe to center itself automati- :cally in relation to the shoe removing tools.

These and other features of the invention comprising certain combinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the shoe engaging instrumentalities in the process of separating a shoe from a last;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion .ofamechanism shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the mechanism in a more advanced stage of the operation.

The machine is arranged .tosupport in inverted of the machine shown" in from the enlarged upper height of the last pin I position upon an upstanding last pin H] a last L having a shoe Smounted thereon. A pair of shoe removing tools l2 and M, which normally occupy an out-of-the-way position rearwardly of the heel end of the shoe, are brought forward into-operac tive positionand then raised'to lift the heel end of the shoe from the last. The tools l2 and I4, together with the mechanism for operating them, will later be described.

The supporting structure of the machine comprises a hollow frame I 6 adapted to rest upon the floor and carry a head [8 at its upper end. Secured'in the frame It is a pin 20 (Fig. 1) having its axis substantially parallel to the. longitudinal axis of the shoe S. 'Pivotally mounted upon pin 26 for-transverse swinging movement and extending upwardly through the hollow frame it and through the head it is a flatbar 22, the narrow edge of which appears in Fig. 1. The upper end portion of the bar 22 extends out through a slot 23 (Fig. 2) in the upper end of the head l8 and is enlarged to form a socket 2d into which is threaded a plug 26 which carries the last pin Ill. The plug 26 is provided with a knurled head 28 to facilitate turning and has a longitudinal slot 30 which is engaged by the end of a spring pressed plunger 32 guided in a hollow lug 34 extending end of the bar 22. The may readily be adjusted by holding the plunger 32 out of engagement with slot 30 and turning the head 28. The plunger 32 when released will hold the last pin in adjusted position.

The shoe engaging tools I 2 and it are carried by a branchedor yoke-shaped lever 38 having its closed end positioned rearwardly of the shoe and having its two branches extending forwardly on opposite sides of the shoe. The two branches of the tool carrier 38 are fulcrumed upon a pair of coaxial pins 40 which are ends of a pair of arms 42, the lower ends of which arms are pivotally mounted for swinging movement forwardly and rearwardly of the shoe upon pins 4'4 (Fig. 1) secured in the head I 8. The arms 42 are parallel and are connected by a web 46 (Fig. 2) to insure their moving in unison. The forward ends of the two branches of the tool carrier 38 are pivotally connected through a pair of coaxial pins 46 to the upper ends ofa branched or V-shaped member '48, the closed lower end of which is rigidly connected to the upper end of a rod 50, the lower end of the rod 50 being pivotally connected to a treadle 52 (Fig. 1'). The

:treadle 52is fulcrumed .upon a pin 54 secured in thelower :portionnf the :frame I 0 and is normally carried at the upper 1:40

held up by a spring 56. The treadle rod extends outwardly through a slot in the frame I0 and the engagement of the rod with the upper end. of the slot determines the uppermost position of the treadle 52 and thus determines the normal heightwise position of the shoe engaging tools I2 and I4.

Pivotally mounted upon a pair of coaxial pins 58 secured in the head I0 is a pair of parallel upstanding arms 60 arranged upon opposite sides of the head. Each of the arms 60 carries a cam 62 which is normally engaged by a roll 64, two such coaxial rolls being provided for engagement with the two cams respectively. As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the upper and lower portions of the cams 62 provide substantially vertical paths for the rolls 64, these vertical paths being connected on each cam by an inclined portion 65. Each of the rolls 64 is provided with a pair of guide flanges 66 which extend over the edges of the cams. The rolls 64 are carried by a yoke 68 which is rigidly mounted upon two branches 10 which extend downwardly and unite to form a single rod I2, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the treadle 52. A tension spring I4, anchored in the frame I0 and hooked to the rod I2, normally holds the rolls 64 against their cams 62. Mounted upon each of the arms 42 by a neck 15 (Fig. 2) is another cam 16 which is normally held against the corresponding cam 62 by a tension spring 18 interposed between the arm 42 and an upward extension on the arm 60. The two cams 16 are parallel to each other and of identical shape and are so arranged that depression of the treadle 52 will cause the rolls 64 in descending to separate the cams I6 from the cams 62, thereby swinging the arms 42 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. As soon as the rolls 64 pass below the lower ends of the cams 16, the springs I8 will at once return the arms 42 to their initial positions, and the lower ends of the cams 16 are pointed or wedge-shaped to cause the rolls 64 in their upward return movement to travel around the forward or outer edge of the cams.

The operating position of the arms 60, and therefore of the cams 62, is determined by a yoke-shaped member 82 having two forwardly extending branches which are pivotally connected by a pair of coaxial pins 84 to the respective arms 60. The yoke 82 has a cross bar 86 through which loosely extends the shank of a screw 68 (Fig. 1) threaded through the head I8 and having a knurled head 90 to facilitate turning. The bar 22 is slotted to avoid interference with the screw 88. Interposed between the head 90 and the cross bar 86 and surrounding the shank of the screw is a compression spring 92 which tends to urge the yoke-shaped member forwardly against a knurled nut 94 adjustably threaded upon the screw 66. The spring 92 is strong enough to overcome the combined force of the springs 18. It is evident that the above described arrangement will enable the cams 62 to be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly to any desired position and that the cams 62 may yield through compression of the spring 92rearwardly of that position, the nut 94 serving as a positive stop to the forward movement of the cams.

0f a shoe upper, the two branches of the pad I2 ,extending forwardly freeof the carrier. A shelf 95 welded to the member 38 affords positive support to the under surface of the pad I2 during operation. The forwardly extending arms of the pad are yieldingly urged against the shoe by compression springs 96 (Fig. 2) which surround pins 98 housed in hollow screws I00 which are threaded through the carrier 38. The forward ends of the pins 98 are slightly enlarged to retain washers 99 which bear against the outer surface of the pad and which are secured to the pad by prongs forced into the rubber. The washers are loose enough on the pins to accommodate relative tilting, and the springs 96 are interposed between the washers and internal shoulders in the screws I60. Turning of the screws I00 serves to adjust the compression of the springs 96 and thereby adapt the pad I2 to shoes of different size or shape. Check nuts I02 threaded on the screws I00 serve to hold the latter securely in adjusted position.

The shoe engaging member I4 is made of hard vulcanized rubber and has a concave forward edge N34 for engaging the heel end of the last. The upper surface of the tool I4 engages the edge of the shoe upper to raise the heel end of the shoe from the last. The member I4 is mounted upon a slide I06 (Figs. 1 and 3) which travels forwardly and rearwardly in a guideway formed in a cover plate I08 secured against the lower surface of a lug IIO extending rearwardly from the carrier 36. The rearward portion of the slide I06 comprises an upstanding flange II2 through which freely passes the shank of a screw having a knurled head I I4 and threaded through an upstanding flange of the lug IIO. A compression spring I I6, surrounding the shank of the screw and interposed between the head H4 and the flange II2, urges the slide I06 forwardly to a stop position determined by a nut II8 adjustably threaded on the screw, from which stop position the slide may yield upon compression of the spring.

In the operation of the machine the last L with the shoe S thereon is mounted upon the last pin I0 in upstanding position as shown in the drawings. The treadle 52 is then depressed causing the rods 50 and 12 to descend simultaneously. At substantially the beginning of this movement the rolls 64 will arrive at the inclined surfaces 65 and will advance into engagement with the cams I6, passing between the cams 62 and the cams I6 and swinging the arms 42 in a clockwise direction to bring'the shoe removing tools I2 and I4 forwardly from their out-of-the-way position into operative position. During the travel of the tools to their operative position, there is little, if any, angular movement of the carrier 36 about the fulcrum pins 40 inasmuch as the downward movement of the treadle will cause the pins 46 to travel with about the same angular velocity about the axis of the pins 44 as the pins 40. Forward movement of the shoe removing tools brings the pad l2 into engagement with the heel portion of the shoe upper with a frictional gripping pressure. The extent of this pressure may very accurately be determined in advance by adjustment of the knurled head 90 as previously described. The operating position of the pad I2 may be varied by adjustment of the nut 94 in accordance with the'distance between the thimble hole and the rear surface of the last to be operated upon. By the time the rolls 64 have reached the ends of the inclined cam surfaces 65 the pressure of the pad I2 will have been fully developed and the continued descent of the rolls will not swing the arms 42 any further to the right. The rod 50, however,.as it continues descending will rock' the carrier about its fulcrum '40 to raise the pad l2 and cause the pad to carry the heel portion of the shoe up with it. The operator may at this time bear downwardly upon the forepart of the shoe bottom with the palm of his hand to break-the last. When the heel end of the shoe clears the heel end of the last the pressure of the spring 92 will urge the shoe forwardly and thus assist the operator in completely removing the shoe from the last.

Continued depression of the treadle will bring the rolls 64 below the cams lfiwhereupon the springs 18 will immediately swing the arms 42 toward the left as Viewed in Fig. 1 bringing the shoe removing tools rearwardly. When the treadle is released, the rolls 64 in their upward travel will follow the outer surfaces of the cams J6 owing to the tapered construction of the lower end portions of the cams. During the upward movement of the treadle, the tool carrier 38 will rock about its fulcrum to swing the shoe removing tools down into their normal or out-of-theway positions. The shoe removing tools are thus returned to their normal positions along a path difierent from the path of their operative movement and all danger of their striking the last in their return movement is avoided. The tool l4 may be so adjusted as to engage the last at about the same instant that the pad l2 has been brought to its maximum compression against the shoe. If there should be any slipping of the pad l2, the member I4, by positive engagement with the edge of the shoe upper, will insure the separation of the heel end of the shoe from the last. It will be observed that the member l4 may yield upon engagement with the last by reason of the spring I IS. By adjusting the member M to a retracted position, it need not be used at all, while on the other hand, if the use of the friction pad I 2 is to be dispensed with, the member 14 may be'adjusted to an advanced position relatively to the pad l2. In the latter case the stop nut 94 may be adjusted to bring the cams G2 a little further to the rear.

The pivotal mounting of the bar 22 on the pin 20 enables the last to swing transversely to center itself automatically as the U-shaped pad 12 engages the shoe, or as the concave edge m4 of the tool I4 engages the last.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned away from the shoe, a cam mounted independently of said shoe removing tool to serve as an abutment, a cam connected to said shoe removing tool, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby to cause movement of the shoe removing tool into operative position relatively to the shoe, and means for interposing said member between said cams to bring the shoe removing tool into said operative position and for causing the shoe removing tool to perform an operative movement to separate the shoe from the last.

2. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which said tool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, a

support for said fulcrum movable in adirection lengthwise with respect to the shoe, a relatively stationary cam, a cam connected to said fulcrum support, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby the fulcrum support to cause the shoe removing tool to move forwardly, and means for thus interposingrsaid member to bring the-shoe removing tool forward into operative position relatively to therear portion of the shoe and for swinging the lever to cause the shoe removing tool to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last.

3. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which saidtool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, a support for said fulcrum movable in a direction lengthwise with respect to the shoe, a relatively stationary cam, a cam connected to said fulcrum support, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby the fulcrum support to cause the shoe removing tool to move forwardly, and a spring for supporting the first mentioned cam against the force of said interposable member, said spring being yieldable to limit the force which canbe exerted by said shoe removing. tool against the shoe or last.

4. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which said tool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, a support for said fulcrum movable in a direction lengthwise with respect to the shoe, a relatively stationary cam, a cam connected to said fulcrum support, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby the fulcrum support to cause the shoe removing tool to move forwardly, and means for adjusting the position of the first meantioned cam forwardly and rearwardly of the last to accommodate variations in different lasts of the distance between the thimble hole and the rear surface of the last.

" 5. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned away from the shoe, a cam mounted independently of said shoe removing tool, a cam connected to said shoe removing tool, a relatively weak spring for normally holding the second mentioned cam against the independently mounted cam, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby to cause movement of the shoe removing tool into operative position relatively to the shoe, means forinterposing said member-between said cams to cause the shoe removing tool to move into said operative position and for causing the shoe removing tool to perform an operative movement to separate the shoe from the last, and a relatively strong spring for supporting said independently mounted cam against'the thrust of said interposable member, said relatively strong spring being yieldable to relieve excessive pressure of the shoe removing tool against the shoe.

comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which said tool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, an arm upon which said fulcrum is carried, a pivotal support upon which said arm is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to enable said tool to move forwardly and rearwardly, a cam element carried by said arm, means for swinging said carrier heightwise about said fulcrum to cause the tool to raise the heel portion of the shoe from the last, and means including a cam element operated by said swinging means and cooperating with the first mentioned cam element to swing said arm forwardly to bring said tool into operative position relatively to the shoe prior to the raising of the heel portion of the shoe.

'7. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally posi: tioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which said tool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted at a point forward of said tool for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, a support for said fulcrum contructed and arranged for movement of the fulcrum in a direction lengthwise of the shoe, a treadle, a rod connecting said treadle to said lever forwardly of said fulcrum to cause said tool upon depression of said treadle to raise the rear portion of the shoe off the last, and means operated by said treadle for moving said fulcrum forwardly to bring the tool into operative position relatively to the rear portion of the shoe prior to the operative movement of the tool.

8. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a yoke-shaped lever having its closed end positioned rearwardly of the shoe and having a pair of arms extending forwardly from said closed end on opposite sides of the shoe respectively, a shoe removing tool mounted on said lever at the closed end thereof, a fulcrum in the form of a pair of coaxial pivotal supports for said arms respectively, a treadle, and connections from said treadle to the forward ends of the arms of said lever whereby depression of the treadle will swing the lever about said fulcrum and cause the shoe removing tool to raise the rear portion of the shoe off the last.

9. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a yoke-shaped lever having its closed end positioned rearwardly of the shoe and having a pair of arms extending forwardly from said closed end on opposite sides of the shoe respectively, a shoe removing tool mounted on said lever at the closed end thereof, a fulcrum in the form of a pair of coaxial pivotal supports for said arms respectively, a treadle, and means for advancing said fulcrum to move the lever bodily forward and thereby to advance the tool from an out-of-the-way position rearward of the shoe to an operative position with relation to the shoe.

10. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally positioned rearwardly of the shoe, a lever on which said tool is mounted, a fulcrum upon which said lever is mounted at a point forward of said tool for swinging movement in a direction to move said tool heightwise of the shoe, an arm upon which said fulcrum is carried, a pivotal support upon which said arm is mounted for swinging movement in a direction to enable said tool to move forwardly and rearwardly, a treadle, a rod connecting said treadle to said lever forwardly of said fulcrum, and mechanism operated by said treadle for swinging said arm forwardly to bring the tool into operative position relatively to the shoe, whereupon further movement of said treadle will swing said carrier about said fulcrum and cause the tool to raise the rear portion of the shoe off the last.

11. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally occupying an out-of-the-way position, a treadle, mechanism operated by said treadle for causing said tool to separate the shoe from the last, a cam mounted independently of said shoe removing tool, a second cam, a member interposable between said cams to cause movement of the second mentioned cam, a connection from said treadle for operating said interposable member, and a connection from said second mentioned cam for 1 moving said tool into operative position relatively to the shoe upon depression of said treadle prior to the operative movement of said tool.

12. A machine for separating shoes from lasts,

comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool, a carrier for said shoe removing tool, an arm upon which said carrier is pivotally mounted for swinging movement heightwise of the shoe, a support upon which the arm is pivotally mounted for swinging movement lengthwise of the shoe, a treadle, a rod connecting said treadle and said carrier for swinging the carrier in a heightwise direction, a cam mounted on said arm, a cam supported independently of said arm, a spring for urging the first mentioned cam against the second mentioned cam to hold the tool normally in an out-of-the-way position to the rear of the shoe, a member interposable between said cams, a spring for urging said interposable member toward the second mentioned cam, and a rod connecting said interposable member to said treadle, said cams being arranged to enable the interposable member to pass between them when the treadle is depressed and thereby to force the first mentioned cam away from the second mentioned cam which movement of the second mentioned cam operates to swing the arm to bring the tool into operative position relatively to the shoe, whereupon continued depression of the treadle will swing the carrier heightwise to cause the tool to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last.

13. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool normally occupying a position away from the shoe, a cam mounted independently of said tool to serve as an abutment, a cam connected to said tool and normally occupying a position wherein it bears against the first mentioned cam, a spring for urging the second mentioned cam toward the first mentioned cam and the tool away from the shoe, a member interposable between said cams to move the second mentioned cam and thereby to cause movement of the shoe removing tool into an operative position relatively to the shoe, and means for interposing said member between said cams to bring the shoe removing tool into said operative position and for causing the shoe removing tool while in operative position to perform an operative movement to separate the shoe from the last, said interposing means being constructed and arranged to carry said interposable member past the second mentioned cam thereby to enable said spring to move the tool away from the shoe.

14. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool, a carrier for said shoe removing tool, operating means for causing said tool first to move from an out-of-the-way position into an operative position relatively to the shoe then to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last and then to return to said out-of-the-way position, and a cam mechanism for controlling the movement of said carrier, said cam mechanism being constructed and arranged to cause said tool in returning to said out-of-the-way position to travel along a path displaced from its path of operative movement to avoid striking the last.

15. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a friction pad engageable with the rear portion of the shoe upper, operating means for causing said pad frictionaily to engage the shoe and to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last, a member engageable with the edge of the rear portion of the shoe upper, and a connection between said edge-engageable member and said pad for causing the edge-engageable member to move in unison with the pad and thereby to assist in raising the rear portion of the shoe from the last.

16. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a friction pad engageable with the rear portion of the shoe upper, a member engageable with the rear surface of the last and with the edge of the rear portion of the shoe upper, a

common carrier for said friction pad and for said edge-engageable member, operating means for moving the carrier to bring the pad from an out-of-the-way position rearwardly of the shoe into engagement with the rear portion of the shoe upper and to bring the edge-engageable member from an out-of-the-way position rearwardly of the last into engagement with the rear portion of the last, and for causing the pad and the edge-engageable member to raise the rear portion of the shoe from the last, and a connection between said carrier and said edgeengageable member constructed and arranged to yield when the edge-engageable member comes into contact with the last, which yielding enables the pad to be pressed to a desired extent against the shoe upper.

17. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool in the form .of a friction pad engageable with the rear portion of the shoe upper, a shoe removing tool engageable with the rear surface of the last and with the edge of the rear portion of the shoe upper, a common operating means for advancing said tools in unison to bring one or both of said tools from an out-ofthe-way position rearwardly of the shoe to an opon, a shoe removing tool in the form of a friction pad engageable with'the rear portion of the shoe upper, a shoe removing tool engageable with the-v rear surface of the last and with the edge of the rear portion of the shoe upper, a common carrier for said shoe removing tools, operating means for advancing the carrier from an out-of-the-Way position rearwardly of the shoe to bring one or both of the tools into operative position relatively to the shoe, adjusting mechanism for advancing or'retracting said edge-engageable tool on said carrier, and means for adjusting said operating means to vary the extent to which said carrier is advanced and thereby to determine whether the friction pad is to be brought into operating position, the adjusting mechanism for the edge-engageable tool serving to determine whether that tool is to be brought into operative position.

19. A machine for separating shoes from lasts comprising means for rigidly supporting a last in inverted position, a swingable lever arm, a tool on said arm for engaging and removing a shoe from the last, a pair of cams, resilient means urging said cams toward each other, one of said cams being stationary and the other connected to said arm, a treadle operated cam roll adapted to pass between and separate said cams against the resistance of said resilient means, thereby swinging said arm and tool in a path determined by the cams to bring the tool from an out-of-the-way position into an operating position relatively to the shoe, and means for causing the tool to perform an operative movement to separate the shoe and last, the cam on said arm having a roll engaging surface contoured to guide the arm in a different path during return movement of the arm to prevent engagement of the last by said tool.

20. A machine for separating shoes from lasts, comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, a shoe removing tool of a type which tends to cause the shoe and last to center themselves relatively to the tool, means for operating said shoe removing tool, and a pivotal mounting for said last support for enabling the last and the shoe to center themselves relatively to the tool.

21. A machine for separating shoes from lasts,

comprising a last pin for supporting in inverted position a last with a shoe thereon, a U-shaped shoe removing tool engageable with the heel end of the shoe, means for operating said shoe removing tool, an arm which at its upper portion carries said last pin, and a pivotal support for the lower end of said arm arranged for transverse swinging movement of the arm to enable the shoe and the last to center themselves with respect to said tool.

ADRIEN ,L. JALBERT. 

